Irony...

[Zwynd]

Growing up in a pretty dark world I found that my favorite form of humor is irony. I especially love irony when it affects me personally though I also love humor that is very subtle. The problem is not many people I have met enjoy it and so I rarely get to share that type of humor with others.

I don't really like to see people harmed nor do I like to make fun of people for their looks or social status. Those seem to be the main source of human's jokes. Stand up comedians are probably my most disliked source of humor even though they deal with irony.

Thing is, I hate pretending to laugh at things others find funny. My friends will show me something and at best they get a smirk out of me. I may fake a laugh to make them happy and usually they're none the wiser. I don't feel this is too healthy though as I'm not representing who I really am to them.

So I have to ask, who else enjoys irony or very subtle humor? Know any websites that focus on this?

And if you're not the type to like the above, what do you enjoy instead?

[NickW]

Are you familiar with Bob and Ray?

"Bob & Ray invented, dreamed up the lines for, and then played, mainly on radio and television, a surrealistic Dickensian repertory company, which chastens the fools of the world with hyperbole, slapstick, parody, verbal nonsense, non sequitur, and sheer wit, all of it clean, subtle and gentle... Bob & Ray's humor turns on their faultless timing and on their infinite sense of the ridiculous. It is also framed by that special sly, dry, wasteless vision of life perfected during the last couple of centuries by middle-class New Englanders..."
-- Whitney Balliett, writing in The New Yorker

BobandRay.com - About Bob & Ray
Bob and Ray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jfrancis]

Originally Posted by Zwynd

I may fake a laugh to make them happy and usually they're none the wiser. I don't feel this is too healthy though as I'm not representing who I really am to them.

I have a pretty subtle sense of humor, myself. I don't let it out that often, because only few dear friends really get it. When you have to go back and explain a joke five minutes (or five days) later, the humor is usually missed somewhere, although sometimes I find that is the humor.
I don't think it is healthy to pretend to laugh at something you don't find funny, though. If your friends are into humor that you find distressing or truly distasteful, then it is in your best interest to communicate that to them if you care to remain friends. If that isn't the case, why take it so seriously? Why not just laugh? You'll live longer and happier the more you laugh. It is, after all, only a joke. Sometimes friends find things hilarious that I find smirk-worthy at best. If I feel like smirking, I smirk, if I feel like laughing, I LET IT OUT, even if it isn't my cup o' funny tea. I don't consider it projecting anything false about me, but that's because I love my friends and I love to laugh - it's shared joy. I say, just laugh.

[Zwynd]

Originally Posted by NickW

Are you familiar with Bob and Ray?

Not until your post. I checked them out on Youtube. I found one of the vids to be quite amusing and could definitely tell there were a lot more jokes in there (for the times) that I wasn't aware of. Thank you for mentioning them to me.

Their type of humor is something I have in my day-to-day life. Especially with being a storyteller. Unfortunately few people I know appreciate or recognize it. =/

Originally Posted by jfrancis

I have a pretty subtle sense of humor, myself. I don't let it out that often, because only few dear friends really get it. When you have to go back and explain a joke five minutes (or five days) later, the humor is usually missed somewhere, although sometimes I find that is the humor.

I can't really see humor in them not 'getting it.' Perhaps I'm too negative on that end.

I don't think it is healthy to pretend to laugh at something you don't find funny, though. If your friends are into humor that you find distressing or truly distasteful, then it is in your best interest to communicate that to them if you care to remain friends. If that isn't the case, why take it so seriously? Why not just laugh? You'll live longer and happier the more you laugh. It is, after all, only a joke. Sometimes friends find things hilarious that I find smirk-worthy at best.

I find some of the things my friends say in jest are rather distasteful, other times the joke is so overdone that it's to the point of it being annoying. Though, I often end up just smiling as they say the joke they so much love to repeat.

If I feel like smirking, I smirk, if I feel like laughing, I LET IT OUT, even if it isn't my cup o' funny tea. I don't consider it projecting anything false about me, but that's because I love my friends and I love to laugh - it's shared joy. I say, just laugh.

I do laugh at a joke if I find it funny regardless of what style of humor it's in.

Eh, well. Thank you two for your thoughts and NickW I'll definitely be looking for more information on Bob and Ray as well as other comedians who promote that type of humor.

[Dan.Linehan]

McSweeney's.